The Leader in Me process will now be implemented in every Bibb County School District elementary and middle school thanks to a successful community-based fundraising campaign. The $2.1 million goal was met less than 10 months after the Business Education Partnership announced its goals in March of this year.

Funding will implement The Leader in Me across the school district and create a sustainable process model for students, teachers and school administrators.

The Leader in Me is currently in eight Bibb County public schools. Plans for implementation are eight to 12 more schools next year, with the remainder in the 2019-2020 school year. There are 29 elementary and middle schools in the Bibb County School District.

“As the Bibb County School District continues to work with an engaged community, The Leader in Me announcement today is very satisfying. It shows our community, our school district and our parents are all focused on providing the best experiences for our students,” said Bibb County School District Superintendent Dr. Curtis L. Jones Jr. “I can’t think of anything better than for young students to learn the ‘Seven Habits’ for young people. The ‘Seven Habits’ will be something they can use for the rest of their lives.”

The Leader in Me process is based on best-in-class content and concepts practiced by education thought-leaders. Guided by Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Leader in Me is a whole-child, paradigm-shifting process that teaches enduring values and principles that students can use throughout their lives – in and outside the classroom – preparing them for post-graduate education and beyond.

Among the lead donors are the Griffith Family Foundation, Peyton Anderson Foundation and Charles H. Jones Family Foundation.

“The Leader in Me represents real possibilities for change in our community,” said Benjy Griffith of the Griffith Family Foundation. “It is a unique process because it helps level the playing field, giving everyone a fair opportunity to succeed.”

The announcement was made on Thursday at Vineville Academy of the Arts, which is currently in its first year of implementing The Leader in Me. Among the speakers at the celebration was Sean Covey of FranklinCovey, a global company specializing in performance improvement, which offers The Leader in Me process.

During the 2015-2016 school year, the Business Education Partnership, along with the Bibb County School District and other community partners, raised funds to implement the process in two elementary schools, Sonny Carter and Burdell-Hunt Magnet. After seeing the results – a positive impact on not only the students, but also teachers and parents – the partnership continued to raise funds in hopes of implementing the process across the district.

“The community’s response to this campaign is indication of how we want the best for our children’s future,” said Blake Sullivan, co-chair of the Business Education Partnership. “I am so excited for the parents and their children in the Macon-Bibb public schools. By teaching these life-long leadership skills, we will help students take control of their learning and give them necessary tools to excel as successful future leaders of our community.”